The Orb of Destiny
by Usami
Summary: /Sequel to 'Heart And Soul'/ After Bakura suddenly falls mysteriously ill, Yugi must face his own destiny and gather the pieces of Ishinku's shattered orb to save his friend before it's too late.
1. Prologue

Okay, so I've decided to make a sequel. Well, have fun reading it. Here's the pro.

* * *

There was a knocking on the bathroom door, causing Yugi to snap out of his trance. "Yes?" he called.

"Yugi?" Yami replied. "Are you alright? You've been in there for half an hour."

"I'm fine, Yami. I'm just taking a bath. It's getting to be that no one can bathe in peace anymore?" the boy joked.

Yami laughed slightly. "Well, dinner is ready. Just letting you know."

"Oh…" Pulling the plug of the drain, Yugi watched the water and bubbles go down the drain. Grabbing a towel, he dried his body and slipped his clothes on quickly. In his haste, he nearly tripped over his pants legs.

Yami looked up at the ceiling when he heard the loud "thump." 'What is he doing now?' the spirit wondered. Yugi? Are you alright?

'Yeah, Yami. I'll be down in a second.'

Yami sighed, continuing to set the table. If you say so.

There was another clatter, and suddenly, Yugi came into the kitchen, panting heavily.

Yami smiled, slightly amused, as Yugi plopped himself into a chair, trying to catch his breath. The spirit placed a plate of spaghetti in front of the boy, sitting down across from him at the table.

Yugi's face seemed to brighten, as he looked up to the spirit. "Thanks, Yami!" the boy said cheerfully, grabbing his fork.

Yami couldn't help but smile. It was nice to have his light back. It's been about a week since the incident with Ishinku, and they were all happy to say that things have pretty much gotten back to normal. Well……as normal as you can get when dealing with ancient spirits and magical items from the past, anyway.

The spirit frowned suddenly as he heard his light slurping away at the spaghetti. He knew Yugi could act immature sometimes, but _honestly._ That was a bit much.

"Yugi," he said, calling the boy's attention. "I somehow don't think it's appropriate to be slurping like that."

The boy stopped, looking up at his spirit. He watched as Yami twirled the noodles with his fork, and then brought the swirl up to his mouth, carefully so that no sauce touched his lips.

After watching his Yami for a moment, Yugi looked down at his plate and fork. He attempted to copy his Yami, by swirling the noodles on his fork. But he discovered that the spirit of the Puzzle made it look easier than it actually was. For every time Yugi brought the noodles up to eat, they would unravel, looking again like limp noodles.

In the end, the boy got fed up with them, and continued to slurp them up.

Yami looked at his light, seemingly quite annoyed.

Yugi chewed a bit, then swallowed. "Sorry, Yami," he said. "But that's how I eat spaghetti. That's how _Grandpa_ eats spaghetti. I just can't eat it the way you do."

Yami smiled then. He could never stay mad at his light. "Finish your dinner, Yugi," he said, and they returned to a quiet meal.

When both had finished, Yugi ran upstairs to get ready for bed while Yami washed the dishes. Yes indeed, things seemed to have gone back to normal. 'And all before Grandfather returned home, as well,' the dark spirit mused. 'Luckily, everything seemed in order to him when he returned. But he left again. How many times does he have to leave the country, anyway?'

Just as he finished washing the dishes (which was supposed to be Yugi's job that day, but for some reason Yami volunteered to do them), there was a slight jangle coming from upstairs in Yugi's room.

Yami sighed. Yugi, what are you doing up there?

For some odd reason, there was no answer. Curiosity getting the better of him, the spirit dried his hands on a nearby dish cloth, and headed up the stairs to Yugi's room.

The door was open, and Yami poked his head inside, eyeing the slightly messy room. His gaze went from the unmade bed to the clothes and games scattered on the floor, to the open books and papers on the desk. However, there was no Yugi present there.

Bemused, Yami stepped inside, looking around the empty, messy, room.

The door suddenly creaked, and Yami spun around just in time to see a pillow smack him in the face. He reeled, falling back on the bed.

Yugi laughed slightly, preparing to hit Yami again with the pillow, holding it up and bringing it back down swiftly.

Yami, though, grabbed the pillow before it connected with his face, pulling it away from Yugi. Getting off the bed, he swung it, hitting Yugi in the side. Feathers from the cushion flew around the room.

Trying to block the pillow, Yugi grabbed another one, using it as defense and offense, as the two 'twins' engaged in a pillow war.

After a few minutes, as more feathers floated around the room, both boys fell back on the bed, exhausted and out of breath, though they were still laughing.

As the feathers finally touched down to the floor, and the room fell silent, Yugi decided to ask the question that had been bugging him for the past week. "Hey, Yami?"

The spirit, propping himself on an elbow and supporting his head with his arm, looked at Yugi. "Hmm?"

Yugi kept his eyes to the ceiling. "Did……did you………miss me, when I was gone?"

Yami was slightly taken aback by the question. "What are you talking about, Yugi? Of course I missed you. We all did."

"It's just that……" A frustrated and slightly upset sigh escaped the boy. "I kinda feel……what's the word?.........unsure……of things right now."

"What do you mean, 'unsure'?"

"Like……I don't know……Maybe it would have been better if I didn't return to my body."

"Yugi, why are you saying these things?"

The boy blinked slightly, hoping that by keeping his eyes upwards, the tears wouldn't fall out. "I……just don't know where my life is going anymore. Like, I don't know what to do, or where to go. If our lives are based on destiny, what am I _supposed_ to do?"

"Yugi, our destinies are intertwined. We have the same destiny."

The boy shook his head slightly. "We _had_ the same destiny," Yugi corrected. "When Malik still had his Yami, our destiny was to stop him at the Tower of Alcatraz. But now that that's over, you have your own destiny to face. You have to somehow gather your lost memories. But that's not _my _destiny. That doesn't really affect me, does it? So what am I supposed to do now?"

Yami stayed quiet. He didn't know how to answer the boy.

* * *

Yami Bakura frowned, slightly confused. 'That doesn't make sense,' he thought to himself.

After having a strange feeling for the past week, Yami Bakura had decided to check the reading of the cards for some guidance, hoping to see what was wrong. The results he gained, however, didn't offer anything he wanted.

'Death?' he asked himself again. 'Why are the cards still showing that? Everything's okay now, isn't it? There's nothing to be worried about. Everything's o…'

He gasped suddenly, clutching his heart, as he doubled over. An unbelievable pain, seeming to pulsate with every one of his heartbeats, spread out throughout his body, as if etched in his blood. His chest seemed to be on fire, as it became harder to breathe. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow, as he clutched the edge of the table with his free hand.

And, just as soon as it came, the pain was gone, and he began to breathe normally. Or, at least he could have, if his breathing hadn't become so shaken by the event that had just taken place.

'What the hell was that?!' he thought. 'It…it felt like…'

The chair abruptly fell, clattering on the ground as it toppled over. Something then clicked in Yami Bakura's mind, as he ran upstairs as fast as he could. Though still slightly winded from a few minutes ago, he didn't seem to notice as he reached Bakura's room, grasping the handle and flinging the door open.

The door opened widely and swiftly, banging against the wall as it did so. It creaked as it began to swing back to place, but Yami Bakura's hand stopped it from doing so. The dark spirit of the Ring's chocolate eyes were fixated on the sight before him.

"Bakura!"

_TBC_

And so, it has begun…


	2. Chapter 1

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I haven't been inspired lately. Oh well, here it is. Remember, I don't own anything.

* * *

(_dream_)

It was darker than anything he had ever seen before. It was almost suffocating. The heat of the area was too incredible, and the pressure was immense.

Looking around, Yugi noted that it seemed very familiar.

'No…' he thought. 'Not again…' It was all _too _familiar. 'It can't be…'

"Oh, I assure you, it is, Yugi." The small teen spun around, only to be confronted by his worse fear.

Ishinku.

"No!" Yugi said. "No!! H-how…? T-this can't be…!"

"But it is, Yugi," the mage said with a sickening smile. "You're in the orb…"

The dark orb, a nightmarish hell to anyone with the misfortune of being trapped within. Yugi could feel himself beginning to tremble.

Ishinku seemed to be laughing at his plight.

"What do you want? You…you're not still after Yami, are you?"

Ishinku shook his head, seeming to hover toward him. "Not at all. I'm after _you_, Yugi."

"M-me?!"

"You disrupted my plans. You and Bakura. I'm out to get the both of you."

Yugi watched as Ishinku's hands began to glow a dark-bluish glow. He felt as though he couldn't breath. What was going on? Hadn't they gotten rid of Ishinku?

He shut his eyes, falling to his knees.

_Yugi…_

His violet orbs opened again. 'Yami?'

_Yugi…_

'No…that's not Yami…it's too soft to be Yami…But who…?'

_Yugi. Can you hear me?_

Unsure of what was going on, he nodded. Who was that?

_Yugi…you have to get rid of Ishinku._

'I _want_ to,' he thought. 'But how?'

_This is just a dream, Yugi. You can control your dreams._

Looking up, Yugi saw that Ishinku was still advancing towards him, his hands held out, glowing with dark energy. Closing his eyes again, Yugi thought as hard as he could that Ishinku would go away.

Opening his eyes again, he let out a soft sigh when the mage was gone.

The darkness began to clear up, as the blackness was replaced with pallid walls. Getting to his feet, he looked around.

_Yugi…are you alright?_

'That voice…it's so familiar…' "Yeah, I'm okay," he called to the empty room. "But where are you? _Who _are you?"

_You don't know me?_

"Well…your voice sounds familiar…but I can't really place it."

The voice laughed. _I'm not really surprised. I don't really say much. People tend to think that I'm really quiet. Unless…my other me takes control…_

'His other?' Yugi thought. 'Wait…it couldn't be…' "Bakura?"

There was a bright flash, and the small boy had to cover his eyes, lest he should go blind. When the light faded, Yugi looked, his breath caught in his throat.

Bakura hovered in front of him, looking very much like he did when his soul was captured by Ishinku.

"Bakura?" the young boy repeated. "What's going on?"

_Yugi,_ the snow-haired boy replied. A chill spread through Yugi's body as he heard Bakura's voice in his head, but his mouth hadn't moved. _I need your help._

"My help? For what?"

_Do you remember when your Yami broke Ishinku's Orb, and our souls returned to our bodies?_

Yugi nodded.

_And that half of Ishinku's soul trapped in the orb as well returned to _his_ body?_

Again, he nodded.

_Well, not all of his soul returned._

"What do you mean?"

_A part of his soul never returned to his body._

"Wait…are you saying that he's not dead?"

_Not exactly…you see, most of his soul returned to his body, but a small portion of it didn't. That portion, however, was enough so that instead of his soul leaving to the spirit world when he was killed, his soul was merely separated from his body, and the rest of his soul is trying to reconnect with the portion that was lost._

Yugi nodded, trying to make sense of it. "But what does that have to do with you?"

Bakura looked down at the ground.

His silence worried Yugi. "Bakura?"

_Well…you see…the portion of his soul…_

"What?"

_That small portion of his soul…fused with my own…_

Yugi's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in surprise. "What?!"

The spirit nodded. _And once I returned to my body, his soul had tried to take over. It was slow at first, but…_

"But what?! Bakura…?!"

_You see…since his soul is trying to reconnect with itself, his entire soul is trying to take control of my body. As his soul is entering, it's slowly forcing my own soul out of my body…_

"But then…what's going to happen to you?"

The spirit once again left it silent.

"Bakura, tell me!"

_Well, if nothing is done to stop him…since he's much stronger than I am…he will force me out completely, and my soul will be lost forever…_

There was a dead silence covering them, Yugi staring at Bakura as the said spirit looked at the ground.

"Why?" Yugi asked. "Why is he doing that to you?"

_The portion of his soul happened to fuse with mine. Plus, I think he's using this as a revenge against me. But when he's eradicated my soul completely, he'll be after you._

"Isn't there anything I could do?!" he asked frantically. "I mean, I don't want your soul to be lost, Bakura! Isn't there anyway to help you?"

_Well…there is _one_ way, but…_

"But what?"

_It's very dangerous…_

"What is it?"

_…Ishinku's Orb…_

"Ishinku's Orb? The one that Yami broke?"

The spirit nodded. _If you were to gather the pieces of the orb, you would be able to help me._

"Gather the pieces of the Orb?"

_When Yami Yugi broke the Orb, the pieces of the Orb scattered, as is their nature. Each time they are broken, they spread around, waiting for a person to find each piece and put the Orb together._

"And where are the pieces of the Orb?"

_All over Domino somewhere. But Yugi, it'll be very dangerous._

"I don't care!" the small boy cried. "You helped me when I needed you. You were almost killed! This is the least I could do."

_But with each piece of the Orb comes a test._

Yugi tilted his head to the side slightly. "A test? What kind of test?"

_A test to see if one is worthy of obtaining the Orb. Each piece has a different test. You'll never be able to tell which test it will be. If you pass each test, you are allowed that piece of the orb. But if you fail…_

"What, Bakura?"

_Should you fail, your life will be taken from you…_

Another silence settled over them, and to Yugi, it was more suffocating than the darkness.

Finally, Yugi cleared his throat. "Do you know where the pieces are?"

Bakura looked up at him. _You can't be serious! It's dangerous, Yugi!_

"I don't care! You helped me, and I'm going to help you!"

_You could die…if not from failing the test, then from the _actual_ test._

"I don't care! I'll do whatever it takes!"

Bakura looked into the eyes of his small friend, the violet orbs gleaming and burning with an unknown, unseen fire. He smiled then. _Congratulations, Yugi. You have passed this test._

Confusion swept over the young boy. "Test?" he repeated.

Holding out his hands, a soft glow began to fill the room, as something seemed to appear in the spirit's hands. He held them out to Yugi. _This is one of the pieces of the Orb._

Taking it from him, Yugi looked at the singular piece. For its size, it wasn't very heavy. However, unlike when it was complete and under Ishinku's power, the piece was clear, like a piece of glass.

_Be warned, Yugi. The other tests won't be so easy. _

Yugi looked up at him, nodding.

Bakura seemed to begin to say something else, but stopped short. _My time is up here…_

Yugi looked worried. "What's wrong?"

_Since my soul is still technically attached with my body, I can't stay long outside of it. The only reason I was able to come here now was because a small part of me was forced out by Ishinku. But I can't stay long._

"But…Bakura…!"

_I'll be back…And I'll be helping you collect the pieces of the Orb…believe me, you'll need it…_

"Bakura!!" Yugi called. But he could only watch as his friend disappeared.

* * *

Yugi sat up in bed quickly, his chest heaving as he gulped in air. Surveying his surroundings, he found that he was in his room.

Finally, after a moment or two, he was able to calm down, wiping the sweat from his brow.

'What a weird dream…' he thought. 'And yet…it seemed so real.'

He heard the sound of heavy footsteps, and suddenly, Yami appeared at the doorway.

"Oh, good," the spirit of the puzzle said. "You're up. Hurry and get dressed."

"Why?"

"We have to go the hospital."

Yugi's eyes went wide. "Why?! What happened?!"

"Something happened to Bakura yesterday. Hurry and get dressed." And with that, the dark spirit disappeared.

Yugi, throwing off the bed-sheets from his body, was about to get out of bed, when he froze, his eyes focusing on his nightstand, resting next to his Millennium Puzzle.

The piece of the orb.

'That was no dream…' he told himself. 'It was definitely real. And if it was real, then Bakura's is in serious trouble…'

_TBC_

Yeah…okay…cool!! Finally, I'm able to get this out!!! Please review!! And don't kill me!!


	3. Chapter 2

Wow, it's been so long since I updated. I apologize for the delay, but I've been so busy with school, that I've been barely able to write anything, let alone post it. And I know this is too short, but........yeah.....So, enjoy!

* * *

There was a quiet knock on the door, yet it was loud enough to wake the spirit of the Ring from his slumber. Grumbling slightly, he rubbed his eyes, stretching before he stood. Looking at his light, almost sadly, then walked to the door and opened it.

Yugi and Yami were the ones who greeted him when the door opened, concern in both their eyes.

"Hi," Yugi said meekly.

Not answering, Yami Bakura simply turned, walking back to the chair he was sitting in and all but collapsed into it.

Following him inside the small hospital room, Yami closed the door behind him. "How's Bakura?" he asked quietly.

"Hasn't changed," Yami Bakura replied. "He just collapsed last night, and the doctor thinks he's in a coma…but…"

"But what?" Yugi asked.

"He doesn't know what I do…I felt…something happen to him before he passed out, and it was an immense pain…" The dark spirit yawned, rubbing his eyes again.

"You look tired," Yami said. "Did you sleep at all?"

The snow-haired spirit shook his head.

"You should get some rest…"

"I can't…"

With a sigh, the Pharaoh grabbed the other's wrist. "Let's go for a walk," he said, dragging the other out of his chair. "It'll help clear your mind so you can rest in peace."

"What, are you trying to stick me in a grave? I'm not going for a walk with you…" But there wasn't much he could do as Yami pulled him out the door.

Yugi watched the two go, then turned back to Bakura. "Should I have told Yami Bakura about my dream?" he asked the other teen quietly.

If he was expecting an answer, he didn't receive one.

The small teen sighed slightly. "I'll do my best to help, Bakura, but how much good can I do? Wouldn't your Yami have been better to ask for help? Especially something like this…"

Slowly, his small hand slipped into his pocket, and he pulled out the glass orb shard. "I promise to help as much as I can Bakura, but what if I don't make it? What if I don't pass one of the tests? I don't care what happens to me, but if I don't succeed, _you'll_ die as well…"

Putting the piece away, he rubbed his temples. "I'll do what I can, Bakura…I just hope it's enough…"

_Yugi…_

The boy's head snapped up, and he stared at the teen on the bed. "Bakura?"

_Yugi_…The voice was rather weak.

"Bakura, I really don't know what I'm doing…How am I supposed to find the pieces of the orbs? Where do I look?"

_The piece…you have…_

Yugi frowned slightly. "What about it?"

_The pieces…connected…_

"Connected? You mean the piece I have can find the others?"

_Yes…_

"And the tests…you said if I fail one test, I'll die?"

_Yes…_

"Then what will happen to the pieces that I've collected…?"

_They'll scatter again…farther than they were before…_

"So, if I fail, the orb might scatter to outside Domino City?"

_Maybe farther…outside of Japan…_

Yugi thought for a moment. "They would be much harder to get that way, and by then it might be too late…Bakura?"

There was no answer.

"Bakura? Are you still there?"

_Yes…_

"Are you okay? You sound a little weak…"

_As my soul continues to be pushed out, I'll sound stronger…_

"Really?"

_Yes…The more my soul is pushed out…the less need for my body…so you'll be able to hear me better…since my soul won't be as attached as it was…_

"But you'd still die?"

_No…I wouldn't die…I'd just cease to exist…_

"What do you mean?"

_Since my soul is being forced out, I still need a body…without one…my soul would just disappear…_

"Couldn't you borrow one? Like I borrowed yours?"

_You were able to borrow my body because of the side-effect of the spell placed on you…but that wasn't placed on me so I can't do that…_

"Well, people get possessed by spirits all the time…I mean, we kinda do…"

_People are possessed by the dead…I'm not dead, so I couldn't do that either. _

"So you couldn't do that either…what about your soul room?"

_I need to get in through my body. Soul rooms exist on the balance of body and soul…_

"So I'm guessing you couldn't go in it right now?"

_Not exactly…no…_

"I see…" Yugi sighed again.

_If you don't want to do this, Yugi, I'll understand…_

"No, I said I'll do my best to help you, Bakura, and I meant it."

_You're not afraid of dying?_

"Well…kind of…but mostly because if I die, you might disappear…"

_I see…_

"……Bakura……?"

_Yes?_

"Is it…painful…having your soul forced out this way?"

There was a pause before the other answered. _A little…_

"Just a little?"

There was a slight hesitancy before he answered, _Yes_.

Yugi wasn't sure whether to believe him. "Maybe you should rest or something…"

_But how would I?_

"I don't know…but it can't be easy talking to me the way your soul is right now…get some rest…"

_I'll try…_

"Okay…"When there was no answer, Yugi looked at the teen's unconscious body again.

The door of the room opened then, and Yami and Yami Bakura walked into the room.

"So that's it," the spirit of the ring said as he answered, shaking his head slightly.

"Hmm….that does sound like a problem," Yami replied.

"Ya think?"

"What's a problem?" Yugi asked, slightly surprised they were getting along.

"Bakura's stay here is going to cost a lot of money," the snow-haired one said, "but we don't have access to his father's bank account, and he has all the money."

"And Bakura's father won't be visiting for a while, so they can't get the money until then…" Yami added.

"Well, how long will he be gone?" the boy asked.

"A year or two at least…just like always…"

"Doesn't he leave Bakura any money?"

"Just enough for food and clothes…not for a hospital bill…" Yami Bakura sighed, sitting down. "It'll take a miracle to pay for a bill like this…"

Thinking for a moment, Yugi looked out the window. "Maybe…maybe not…" he replied.

"What are you thinking, Yugi?" Yami asked.

"Well…I can only think of one person who can help right now…"

* * *

Seto Kaiba hung up his cell phone, putting it away.

"Who was that?" Mokuba asked.

Not answering, the young CEO said to the driver of the limo, "There's been a change of plans."

The chauffer looked at the teen through the mirror. "Change of plans, sir?"

"Head to the hospital."

"Yes sir…." He turned the lime around and began towards their new destination.

"The hospital?" the young boy asked, looking at his brother. "Why are we going there?"

"We have to see someone," the elder replied bluntly.

Mokuba looked a little puzzled, but said nothing more.

Seto looked out the window of the vehicle, folding his arms across his chest. 'This better be worth my time, Yugi…' he thought.

_TBC_

* * *

Short, huh? Sorry about that, but that's all I could think of for this chapter. So, please review! 


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